Steve Smith
-
The AMPLIFY2020: quarantine festival continues online… Touch: Isolation further addresses our present state of existence… Tuluum Shimmering releases more ecstatic cover songs… and more. Duo (Bologna) 2018 by Anthony Braxton & Jaqueline Kerrod Anthony Braxton/Jaqueline Kerrod – Duo (Bologna) 2018 (i dischi di angelica; 2020) Splatter by Roscoe Mitchell Roscoe Mitchell – Splatter (i dischi…
-
Change is upon us once again, and with it a fresh start for Night After Night—elsewhere. As of Thursday, April 23, the primary focus of my work has shifted over to a newly launched Substack newsletter, also called Night After Night. That title has provided my online identity – my "brand" – for more than…
-
The Goings On About Town section in The New Yorker remains suspended indefinitely in its conventional format, and album reviews linger. But with a marked uptick lately in the number of live online events planned and announced well in advance, the possibility of "events listings" has resumed. For the April 27 issue, I've written up…
-
The Goings On About Town section in The New Yorker remains suspended indefinitely in its conventional format, and album reviews prevail, mostly. But with a marked uptick lately in the number of live online events planned and announced well in advance of their occurrence, the possibility of "events listings" has resumed. This week, I've written…
-
The AMPLIFY2020: quarantine festival continues online… we lose Hal Willner and Richard Teitelbaum… Herbie Hancock celebrates his 80th birthday… and more. Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No. 5 in C minor – MusicAeterna/Theodor Currentzis (Sony Classical; 2020) John Adams – Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?; China Gates – Yuja Wang, Los Angeles…
-
The Goings On About Town section in The New Yorker remains suspended indefinitely in its conventional format, and album reviews prevail, mostly. Here's my latest, from the April 13 issue, covering The experience of repetition as death, the second full-length album by cellist Clarice Jensen. The third release overall in her swiftly ascendant career as…
-
<a href="http://amplify2020.bandcamp.com/album/perhaps-at-some-time-you-have-acted-in-a-play-even-if-it-was-when-you-were-a-child" data-mce-href="http://amplify2020.bandcamp.com/album/perhaps-at-some-time-you-have-acted-in-a-play-even-if-it-was-when-you-were-a-child">perhaps at some time you have acted in a play, even if it was when you were a child by Vanessa Rossetto</a> Vanessa Rossetto – perhaps at some time you have acted in a play, even if it was when you were a child (AMPLIFY2020: quarantine; 2020) <a href="http://amplify2020.bandcamp.com/album/days-collapse-days-collapse-night" data-mce-href="http://amplify2020.bandcamp.com/album/days-collapse-days-collapse-night">days collapse days collapse…
-
The Goings On About Town section in The New Yorker remains suspended indefinitely in its conventional format, and album reviews prevail, for now. Here's mine from the April 6 issue: a quick take on Healing Modes, the latest offering from the string quartet Brooklyn Rider, presenting a program that has grown much more pertinent in…
-
If we're connected on social media, then most likely you saw the major announcement I made there yesterday. If not, this is no April Fool's Day gag: National Sawdust Log ceased operation on March 31, a victim of perilous times. Whether this will prove to be a temporary hiatus for the publication or a new…
-
A weekly tally of memorable things Steve Smith has stuck in his ears.Published on National Sawdust Log.
-
The Goings On About Town section in The New Yorker, not surprisingly under the circumstances, is suspended indefinitely in its conventional format. But people still need wonderful things to occupy their time, perhaps especially right now, and some bright soul came upon the notion of publishing album reviews instead of concert picks, at least for…
-
To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys…
-
A weekly tally of memorable things Steve Smith has stuck in his ears. Published on National Sawdust Log. Note: YouTube embed codes were not working when this list was made, so links are provided where necessary. Dave Brubeck Quartet – Reflections (Concord Jazz; 1986) William O. Smith – Two Sides of Bill Smith (CRI; 1974)…
-
Last week, before I could collect and share my contributions to the Goings On About Town section in the March 16, 2020 issue of The New Yorker, covering the dates March 11-17, the cancellations started to trickle in—and then came the flood. Here are screenshots of my listings for that issue as they appeared online,…
-
As has been the case with basically every upcoming concert scheduled to occur during the next six weeks or more, New York new-music institution the S.E.M. Ensemble has announced that its planned concert for April 1 at the Bohemian National Hall has been canceled. In this instance, presenting the concert online for an empty house…
-
A weekly tally of memorable things Steve Smith has stuck in his ears. Published on National Sawdust Log. Comet Meta by David Grubbs & Taku Unami David Grubbs & Taku Unami – Comet Meta (Drag City; due May 29, 2020) Ellen Fullman – In the Sea (self-released/Superior Viaduct; 1987/2020) Rachel Beetz // Script – Rescript…
-
A weekly tally of memorable things Steve Smith has stuck in his ears.Published on National Sawdust Log. Anastassis Philippakopoulos: piano works by Melaine Dalibert Anastassis Philippakopoulos – piano works – Melaine Dalibert (Elsewhere) MATT LAJOIE – Everlasting Spring by Matt LaJoie Matt LaJoie – Everlasting Spring (Flower Room; due March 14, 2020) Beside Myself by…
-
Reading to and with The Girl at bedtime is a constant joy: a time for discovery and sharing and, increasingly, an opportunity to gauge how her ability to read on her own is growing by leaps and bounds. One thing we especially enjoy is books about real-life women who made a substantial impact in science…
-
My contributions to the Goings On About Town section in the March 9, 2020 issue of The New Yorker, covering the dates March 4-10. (Links lead to detailed listings on the New Yorker website.) Dai FujikuraMiller Theatre; March 5 at 8 The intrepid musicians of International Contemporary Ensemble present a Composer Portrait showcasing music by…
-
We've all got a lot on our minds tonight, it seems safe to guess, so I'll keep this brief: I'd been waiting a long time to hear Liebeslied, a delightfully mysterious, frequently sumptuous piece for amplified vocalist and orchestra by Alex Temple, so thank you, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, for making this something of a super…
Night After Night 